Spending time in tranquil spaces has clear benefits to people’s health and well-being. The protection and enhancement of tranquillity is therefore an important step for a civilised, healthy society. This applies both in rural environments, where current levels of tranquillity may be high but under pressure of development; and in urban environments, where tranquillity may be relatively low but, compared with a busy surrounding area, a location which feels only “slightly” tranquil may be considered to be a valuable resource.
There are strong drivers from the UK government to try to promote, improve and protect tranquil places. However, without a reliable way of assessing tranquillity and without even an agreed definition of what is meant by “quiet”, the designation of tranquil areas and their subsequent protection is difficult to achieve. For this reason, a reliable, repeatable method of assessment is needed.
Over the last 3 years Clive Bentley, Associate at Sharps Redmore, has been developing such a method to effectively measure and therefore protect our tranquil spaces. During this webinar Clive gives an insight into this work and highlights the challenges faced when designing his method.
